Types of Disorderly Conduct Crimes
Disorderly conduct is a misdemeanor crime. Minnesota Statute 609.72 defines disorderly conduct. According to the statue, you can be found guilty of disorderly conduct if you take any action that you know (or should know) that will alarm, anger or disturb others or that will instigate an assault or a “breach of the peace”. This law applies to actions taken in public or in private, including on a school bus.
Sound vague? It is.
Some other things the law defines as disorderly conduct are when a person recklessly, knowingly, or intentionally:
- Engages in brawling or fighting; or
- Commits indecent conduct and exposure; or
- Disturbs a lawful assembly or meeting; or
- Engages in offensive, obscene, abusive, boisterous, or noisy conduct or in an offensive, obscene, or abusive language tending reasonably to arouse alarm, anger, or resentment in others.
Have you ever seen one sports fan yell at opposing fans in the stands? Don’t they know their noisy, boisterous actions could anger or offend the rival fans? Sure they do. And that could, technically, be disorderly conduct..and sometimes sports fan conduct goes beyond yelling.
But of course that’s not how it usually happens, is it? Frequently, the targets of a disorderly conduct charge are rowdy teenagers, people who’ve had too much to drink and people having a family dispute.
What Does Count as Disorderly Conduct, Exactly?
This is a charge which is as common to prosecutors as all-purpose flour is to bakers. Some of the behaviors above are obvious (if you’re physically fighting in a bar or nightclub likeVikings’ cornerback Cedric Griffin, you can be charged with disorderly conduct) But the charge can also come up for yelling at someone in front of other people.
It Matters Who’s Around…
There are many situations where a person’s behavior could alarm, anger or disturb others. And sometimes what really counts is who is the person getting yelled at.
Because it is very easy to charge and prove disorderly conduct it is used frequently. This is why it is very important to stay calm while interacting with the police. If you yell and scream at officers or at people around you you can be charged with disorderly conduct.
Being loud and uncooperative makes it easy to add a charge to the complaint. So be on good behavior when dealing with police officers. If you are being arrested, ask to call an attorney and be quiet.
Penalties for Disorderly Conduct?
Punishment for disorderly conduct on it’s own can range from a fine to a short stay in jail. But often this crime is a charge that is tacked onto a list of other charges and it is very often dismissed. In my experience, when they can, prosecutors add a charge of disorderly conduct to the complaint so they can offer a concession at plea bargaining time while still keeping the charge for the main offense they really want to prosecute.